Everything You need to know about #WhyIDidntReport

The times for sexual assault victims and survivors are taking a whole new turn. With the ever growing success of #MeToo and #TimesUp, many popular celebrities are finding themselves exposed. In fact, Bill Cosby was announced as a sexually violent predator by a court recently. But now there are more and more feminist movements coming up. Now that Dr. Christine Blasey Ford has accused the U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, things are getting messier. And with one thing leading to another, the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport has been viral over the internet. Everybody is expressing their stories of what made them stay silent about their abuse. Here’s everything you need to know about #WhyIDidntReport.

What Initiated #WhyIDidntReport?

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with her sexual assault claims against the US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Time’s Up immediately came forward urging to stop voting on his nomination until the charges were investigated. However, as the claims came up, President Donald Trump chose to intervene with his misogyny. In a series of tweets, Trump claimed that if Dr Ford was attacked as bad as she describes it, she must have filed a complaint with the law authorities. And if that’s true, she could share it so that everybody could know the time, date and location of the assault.

The response to President Trump’s tweet was swift. Not just to him, but in support of Dr. Ford a whole new social media movement was launched against Brett Kavanaugh. Apart from the backlash he received, the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport campaign caught on. It was basically addressing why Christine Blasey Ford did not come up with her accusations previously. And with this hashtag getting viral, she gained an overwhelming support from people especially women and assault victims from all across the world.

The Progress Of #WhyIDidntReport

As the #WhyIDidntReport progressed, women from all over the world took the opportunity to open up. Thousands of women came up with their own stories narrating why it took them years to talk about their assault cases. By the end of last week, there were almost 675,000 tweets under #WhyIDidntReport. Many women described how they felt ashamed, powerless and traumatized and that made them unable to recount what had happened to them. Other claimed that they were worried that the society would not believe if they put forward their sexual assault cases. And a lot many women said that they spent their years in silence trying to forget the pain and suffering they went through.

A lot of celebrities also stepped up and expressed their incidents under the #WhyIDidntReport. They also extended their support towards Dr Ford and her recent allegations. In response to Donald Trump, actress and activist Alyssa Milano shared why it took her a decade to open up about assault. Others like Ashley Judd and Daryl Hannah said added their own unique responses. Judd said that when she was assaulted the first time, people told her that the man was an elderly and did not mean that. So, when she got raped at 15, she did not open up to anyone but her diary. And when somebody accessed it, she was accused of having sex with a grown man. Daryl Hannah said that she filed the report but it was dismissed and never mattered. Not just that, but she even got blamed for her sexual assault.

And with #WhyIDidntReport still going strong, people are hoping that this might make a change. It’s time that women get valued. Especially more than a man’s career. And it’s time that feminist movements make this world a better place for women too.

Full Name: Insa Sohail
I'm a 20-year-old aspiring journalist. An active feminist with a strong love for personal independence that I achieve by making the most of my writing skills. Self-satisfaction is what I search for in my life!